ILLICIT AFFAIRS | WLW

So It Goes...

𝐀𝐍: This is my first time writing some scenes like this, so please don't judge me too harshly! But also, feel free to give me whatever constructive criticism you have <3

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The week before midterms blurred into a dizzying whirlwind for many students, especially Blair. Time itself had conspired against her, or so she believed, trapping her in a cycle of sleepless nights, countless cups of coffee and a steady stream of textbook scanning. The dining room in hers and Ann's apartment had become a study station, a chaotic mess of crumpled notes, highlighters and open textbooks stacked.

The looming exams threated to consume her every waking moment, a mounting sense of pressure weighed heavily on her shoulders. Her brain had filled to the brim with advanced grammatical structures, complex sociopolitical theories and seemingly endless historical facts. Concepts that had once seemed manageable now felt like stress-fuelled mountains and each night, she stayed up later than the one before, trying her best to climb and conquer them. Even in the midst of this chaos, Blair found herself clinging to a bright spot within this storm – Catherine.

It was Catherine who grounded her, who had recently become Blair's anchor in a world that often felt like it was moving too fast. Nearly ever late afternoon, after the campus had quieted and most students had retreated to their dorms or libraries, Blair found herself in the comforting confines of Catherine's office. The quiet, sacred hours they spent there became Blair's only reprieve, a sanctuary where the frenetic pace of the university slowed down, a place where she could finally breathe.

Here, she was curled up away from the noise and pressure that seemed to overwhelm her everywhere else. Here, her academic worries were temporarily soothed by the presence of the one person who had recently come to mean more to Blair than most other people in her life.

Catherine had a way of making the most complicated academic concepts feel simple.  She knew just how to soothe Blair's anxieties. Whether it was explaining the intricacies of cross—cultural authoritarian governments or helping her navigate advanced grammar structures, Catherine always seemed to know exactly what to say, exactly how to break things down for her. But it wasn't just academic help she provided. Her encouraging words were ones that settled Blair's frayed nerves and minimised any self-doubts she had.

However, as comforting as Catherine's presence was, there was one place where even she couldn't make Blair feel at ease – the diner she word at. Blair kept up the pretence, maintaining the lie that she was still in a relationship with Thomas, all for the sake of Grace – her colleague and Catherine's former fling --  from suspecting the truth. The careful web of lies Blair had spun had grown more suffocating with each passing shift.

The guilt gnawed at her every time she wore the gold necklace Thomas had given her, a relic of their relationship, a constant reminder of the lies she was telling. Every time she caught a glimpse of the necklace in a mirror, she was reminded of how she was pretending to be someone she wasn't. The fake smile she forced whenever someone mentioned Thomas felt more and more like a betrayal – because it wasn't Thomas who consumed her thoughts anymore – not that he ever did, completely. But it was Catherine.

Blair's phone buzzed as she finished stuffing the last of her textbooks into her bag, pulling her out of her thoughts. The screen lit up with a message from Grace.

G: See you at work!

Blair sighed, slipping the phone into her pocket. Grace. The constant shadow that loomed over her whenever she was at the diner. Catherine had confided in her about their past, about the emotional entanglements and mental health struggles that had defined Grace's role in Catherine's life. It hadn't been easy for Blair to hear—knowing that Catherine, who now meant so much to her, had once shared something with someone like Grace. But Catherine had been clear—whatever they had was long over. Blair knew that, logically. But emotionally? It was harder to accept.